Lemon Oats Bhaat | Savoury Lemony Oats

After publishing the Oats Pohe recipe earlier this month, I got many requests from my readers for more Indian Style Oats Recipes. I use Oats in so many recipes that I was surprised to see only two Indian Oats recipes posted to this blog! So here goes another favourite at my home - Lemon Oats Bhaat | Savoury Lemony Oats. In this recipe, I substitute old fashioned oats for rice in the traditional South Indian recipe of Lemon Rice. The result is delicious.

Lemon Quinoa | Lemony Quinoa Pilaf

South Indian style lemon rice is probably one of my favourite rice dishes. It is a delight both to make and to eat - the fragrant tempering, the hot and sharp tastes, and the beautiful yellow colour are so inviting! Its also so easy to make that it can be ready in a snap. It is also great to make if you have left over rice from a party or get together. Lemon rice is one of the dishes I love to make when we are planning a road trip or a picnic. It travels so well, tastes delicious hot or cold, and you never have to worry about the accompaniments.

Nimboo Wali Arhar Dal | Lemony Toor Dal

Toor Dal easily qualifies to be the creamiest of dals in Indian cooking. Its also very flavourful and highly versatile. Its delicious on its own but also make for a great base for amti, sambar, khichri, and bisi bele bhaat! I am particularly fond of cooking this dal with ginger and garlic, tempering it with hing, and then adding a big squeeze of lemon into it. Delicious and heavenly!!

Cumin Seasoned Warm Quinoa Salad with Broccolette, Carrots, and Kale | Farmers' Market Days

Summer is here and its time to make salads. I love shopping at our local farmers' market for fresh organic produce. Starting May the market is outdoors and so the pleasure of visiting it just doubles. The sunshine and vendors with bright flowers, fresh fruits, herbs, vegetables just makes shopping such a satisfying experience. Chatting with the farmers who grow the produce and getting to know is a the best bonus that one can ask for.

Parsi Style Aloo Curry | Potatoes in a Rich Creamy Gravy

Many years ago, my Mum purchased the Parsi food classic Jamva Chaloji by Katy Dalal. She absolutely loved the book and recommended it to me many times. I never really got the opportunity to buy it and when I wanted to, I found it unavailable. Last year however, I was lucky enough to find a copy of it at a Landmark store in Mumbai.

Three Pepper and Sweet Corn Salad

Its unseasonably hot in my part of the world with temperatures touching the 90s!! Its the first time I have experienced such a warm May here. The average temperatures are in the 70s at this time of the year, warm but a cool breeze and some rain. On Sunday it was so hot that we actually went out for ice cream. Boy did it taste good!!

Daring Bakers August 2011: Candylicious with Raspberry Pate de Fruit!!

The August 2011 Daring Bakers were challenged to some seriously sweet business!! When I saw the recipes, my heart did a quick flip. Most readers of my blog know, I don't really have a sweet tooth. While I enjoy the occasional dessert or candy, and love to bake and create various sweetmeats for friends and family, I rarely did my fangs in them. On the other hand give me something spicy and salted and I cave in in an instant!!

Khatta Meeta Karela | Sweet Sour Bitter Gourd and Onion Fry

Last weekend we were finally able to make that long awaited trip to the local farm. The weather was perfect - warm with a cool breeze. The sun was out and as we reached early, there were very few people on the farm. Wonderful!! In our part of the world its the season for herbs and all sorts of gourds. I hit the bitter gourd patch first, then the bottle gourd, and then finally the snake gourd!! I was also able to get some fabulous basil and Anaheim and Mariachi peppers!!

Tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers, and jalapenos come next, and I am really looking forward to a good harvest!! In the meanwhile, I have been busy preparing some delicious recipes with the gourds!! Here is a bitter gourd recipe we love and I like to make wherever I get farm fresh and tender bitter gourd. Its a wonderful combination of of the sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter flavours!!

Ingredients:
4 karela (bittergourd)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp gur (jaggery)
1/2 tsp lal mirch (red chili powder)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
2 tbsp of lemon juice (or to taste)

Method:

1. Peel, seed, and dice the bitter gourd. Sprinkle with a half teaspoon of salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, and turmeric.
3. Add the onions and fry on a gentle heat until the onions are transparent and and soft.
4. Wash the bitter gourd, squeeze away any water, then add to the pan. 
5. Sprinkle with the red chili powder. Stir well, cover and cook until the bitter gourd is soft and well done.
6. If needed add a couple of tablespoons of water to the vegetable.
7. Stir in the jaggery and slat to taste. Turn off the heat.
8. Serve warm after stirring in a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.

Good to know:

• Add the lime juice to taste just before serving.
• This vegetable stays well in the refrigerator for up to a week. If preparing to eat at a later date, do not add the lemon juice you have warmed the dish and it is ready to serve.

Vegan Recipe

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Daring Cooks June 2011: Potato Salad

With the 4th of July weekend coming up, no recipe could be better suited for a Daring Cooks Challenge than one of Potato Salad. Iconic at barbecue tables across the country the salad itself has become a great summer eat! Of course there are innumerable types of potato salads - creamy, spicy, hearty, light. The sheer versatility of the potato allows for much variation in flavour and accommodation of regional taste.

I chose to make a classic-ish style of salad - creamy, cheesy, with a burst of flavour that comes from a combination of cilantro, lemon juice, and sour cream!!

Ingredients:
4 potatoes, boiled and cubed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 ts crushed black pepper
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cheese, grated

Method:

1. In a small mixing bowl, blend together the sour cream, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice.
2. To this mix, add salt, pepper, and mustard powder. 
3. In a larger mixing bowl, toss together the cubed potatoes, cheese, and the cilantro.
4. Pour the dressing over it and using a couple of forks, mix well enough to coat the potatoes well.
5. Turn into a serving bowl. Chill in the refrigerator before serving. 

Post Script: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

Vegan Substitute: Try dairy free sour cream and vegan grated cheese in this recipe.

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2011. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Daring Bakers February 2011: Saffron Panna Cotta with a Pistachio Encrusted Mango Gelee

For the February 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge I made a Saffron Panna Cotta with a Pistachio Encrusted Mango Gelee. I made the Panna Cotta with a combination of single cream and full fat milk to which I added some agave nectar, pinch of sugar, salt, and saffron. Set it with agar agar. For the mango gelee, I used mango syrup, diluted with water, a squeeze of lemon, and agar agar. Pistachios were left raw, crushed coarsely, and encrusted in between the panna cotta and the gelee.

Thanks to Mallory for this wonderful Challenge!!

Post Script: The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Click here for the complete Daring Baker's February 2011 Challenge.

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Vrat ka Khana | Fasting Foods: Sabudana Vada | Sago Fritters

Just about three years ago, when I began this blog, one of my posts was about Sabudana Khichiri. Extremely popular during fasts, this savoury made with sago pearls is as delicious as it is addictive. Sago is also used to make other delicious savouries during fasts including thalipeeth (pancakes) and vadas (fritters). Sweet kheer with sago pearls (milk based pudding) is prepared with sugar or gur (jaggery) as a Bhog (food offering to the Gods).

Vrat ka Khana | Fasting Foods: Aloo aur Sakarkandi ki Chaat | Potato & Sweet Potato Savoury

This recipe is another favourite of festival times, especially in the Northern parts of India. Its very simple to put together and guaranteed to please. If you are the kind of person who enjoys a sweet-spicy-tang, this Aloo aur Sakarkandi Chaat is for you!

Piquant & Sweet: A Lemon-Chocolate Yule Log via The Daring Bakers Kitchen

And so it is the end of 2008. What better way to celebrate the sweet and piquant memories of the year past that with lemons and chocolate!! This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

I was a little alarmed when I saw the length of this recipe. My primary concern was the number of eggs that make an appearance therein. We do eat eggs here but they are really not our favourite food. I do bake with eggs and where possible eliminate the yellows and I dislike the smell and taste of the same. I have tweaked this recipe as per our tastes and have made several substitutions along the way. This recipe is excellent and tweaks and will it yields a beautiful and utterly delicious dessert.

Lemon-Chocolate Yule Log
While the complete December Challenge can be found at SaffBlue's Google Group , my experience with this recipe is blogged below. Firstly, i have to say that I chose to half the recipe at the outset. To this end I chose a small loaf pan top assemble the dessert.

Element 1: Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake) with Lemon
I followed the recipe and added some lemon zest and extract into the batter just before baking. I got a beautifully golden, moist, melt in the mouth cake.


Element 2: Eggless Dark Chocolate Chantilly
Again I followed the recipe here substituting the milk chocolate with the dark chocolate. The taste was spectacular!

Element 3: Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert
I followed the recipe as given - only the butter I used was salted.


Element 4: Praline Feuillete Insert
Things were going well and so I got adventurous and decided to make the Gavottes or lacy crepes myself. I found the recipe really simple, skipped the vegetable oil, and baked the crepe for around 25 minutes to get the desired level of crispness. Then I make some fresh almond praline and voila a dark chocolate crisp insert!


Element 5: Lemon Creme Brulee

Ingredients:
2tbsp granulated sugar
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
2tbsp cup water
1 cup soy milk (I used light version of vanilla soy sense)
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1tsp lemon extract

Warm the water soy milk. Blend the cornflour and sugar into it taking care to eliminate all lumps. Place on a low heat and cook stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, let the cream cool, then add the lemon zest and extract. This is a variation on a recipe that I have long used to get using for custards and pastry creams!!

Element 6: Dark Chocolate Icing
I followed the original recipe by substituting agar-agar instead of the gelatin.

The Grand Finale
I prepared all elements of the cake on the same day. I kinda got on a roll once I started and became excited about the final result. Once all the elements were ready, I lined the loaf pan with some cling film and then some acetate. the layering for this cake is as follows:

Dacquoise Biscuit
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Lemon Creme Brulee
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Praline Feuillete Insert
Dark Chocolate Mousse
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Dacquoise Biscuit


I stuck the cake in the freezer, and I will ice it when we eat it. As it has been festive season, we are currently OD'ed on sweets and it just did not seem right to dive into it immediately. But having tasted virtually every element as I prepared it, I am assured that this cake is going to be delightful!!!! I will update this post in a few days when I intend to serve this for dessert. Meanwhile enjoy the photographs of the cake in preparation.

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Gajar Koshambir Ver 1.0 | Carrot-Peanut Salad

Apart from their nutritive value, carrots are a crunchy, tasty, and deliciously sweet vegetable. Carrots are ideal for snacking, desserts, bhajis, and salads. The wonderful thing about carrots is that they take on flavour very well. Gajar Koshambir or Indian-style Carrot Salad is a great salad to add to an afternoon meal. Its fresh citrusy flavour is superb in adding balance to any curry, vegetable, and even rice. Here's how I make Gajar Koshambir.


More Raw Carrot Recipes @ Annarasa:
Gajar Koshambir Ver 2.0 | Carrot Yogurt Salad
Gajar March No Sambharo | Fresh Carrot Green Chile Pickle
Gajar Adrak Chatni | Carrot & Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:
3 large carrots
3 tbsp peanuts, roasted
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cilantro, chopped fine
1 green chilli, chopped fine
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Grate the carrots and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Crush the peanuts coarsely. Mix in the peanuts with the salt, sugar, cilantro, and green chilli.
3. Squeeze the lemon into this mix. Blend well.
4. Pour into a serving bowl. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

This recipe goes to The Cooker who is hosting JFI: Carrots this month. JFI,the brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi blog. It also goes out to Mansi of Fun & Food Cafe who is hosting a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe Carnival.

Vegan Recipe, Dairy Free Recipe

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007-2013. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Garden-Fresh Salad

My patio vegetable patch has been yielding some lovely cucumbers and plum tomatoes this week. These are great for snacking, but I occasionally toss them into a bowl for a salad. The salad here is a simple salad, but it packs a great punch when accompanied with a nice heavy desi-style lunch. Alternately pair it with Spicy Paneer-Filled Rolls or a Pilaf for a complete meal!

Lemony Chickpea & Macaroni Chaat

Here's another original from my kitchen - Chickpea & Macaroni Chaat!! As all my friends and family know, I love to be creative in the kitchen. So, when we got home last Saturday, exhausted after some biking, we couldn't wait to get some lunch. Well, it was closer tea time and the breakfast we'd eaten had long been digested. Of course, we could have eaten out. But our new mantra is to avoid eating out as much as possible - primarily with the aim of avoiding unnecessary calories from restaurant food and hence to replace any such meal with a healthier home-cooked alternative.

Khatta-Meetha Nimboo Achaar | Sweet-Sour Lemon Pickle

Lemons are a plenty in the market, and its the perfect weather to enjoy them. Lemons are tremendously versatile and just add great flavour to food. I always keep a great stock handy for all those lovely dishes that come alive with a squeeze of lemon. Amongst our favourites are chilled sweet lemonade, margaritas, salad dressing, granita, and needless to say pickle!!

A drop of lemon pickle makes a perfect accompaniment to any meal. Try this lovely home made pickle with rice, paratha, crackers, toast, you name it!! The explosive combination of tart, sweet, and hot makes it finger-licking good:)

Ingredients:
8 lemons, quartered
1 cup canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 cup dry red chillies
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
1/2 cup sugar
Salt, to taste


Method:

1. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds.
2. When they begin to pop, add the asafetida. Stir and cook for a minute. Next add the lemons.Take care not to splash the oil as it will be very hot at this point.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the lemons well, until all the water they release is evaporated and the oil begins to separate from them. Remove from the heat.
4. In a separate non-stick pan, dry roast the fenugreek seeds and the red chillies separately. Cool. Dry grind these together.
5. Now add this spice mix to the cooked lemons with the salt and sugar. Mix well. As the oil is warm, the sugar will melt.
6. Once the pickle is cool, store in clean, dry glass bottles for at least a week before serving.

This lemon pickle goes to AFAM Lemon. A monthly event, it is being hosted this month by Easycrafts at Simple Indian Food. AFAM or A Fruit A Month event was started by Maheswari of Beyond the Usual blog. This recipe also goes to Sunita at Sunita's World food blog. Sunita's food event Think Spice... carries the theme Think Spice... Think Favourite this month. This is because this fabulous event is celebrating its very first anniversary! Great going Sunita - and wishing you all the best!! Quick note on my favourite spice which is fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds are a staple of Indian cooking and they add great flavour to vegetables, pickles, and chutneys alike. Fenugreek, roasted and crushed is a vital ingredient of pickles. Its flavour though initially bitter plays a significant role in the maturing of the pickle. Here's to my favourite spice - fenugreek seeds!!!!

Vegan Recipe

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007-2013. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.